Warning: Spoilers for Plastic Man No More! #2One of DC’s most lightheartedJustice Leaguecharacters is getting his darkest take yet. With a new title under DC’s Black Label imprint,Plastic Manis running out of jokes as his end is quickly approaching. I knew him as the immortal comedian of comics who always made me laugh, but recently, that’s all been flipped on its head, as I’ve had to watch Plastic Man slowly die due to his own powers.
InPlastic Man No More!#2by Christopher Cantwell, Jacob Edgar, Alex Lins, Marcelo Maiolo, and Becca Carey, Eel O’Brian’s past is catching up to him in a new way, as the powers that made him a superhero destroy him from the inside out. He’s got a plan that will help him, however, and as he’s detailing the plan to the Justice League, he loses all control while sneezing and changes forms, showing the complete deterioration of his powers and his character.
It is aterrifying Plastic Man momentthat is both deadly serious and oddly comedic at the same time. He nearly sneezes himself out of shape, his body melting horribly as the art flips from simple to grotesque. It’s so hard for me to seeone of my favorite funny characters dying in such an awful way.
Plastic Man Is Not Only Funny - But Dangerous
Batman: The Brave and the Bold#19 Variant Cover by Riley Rossmo
Plastic Man is one of the best DC comedians, which is strange considering he is also one ofDC’s most dangerous heroes.With his seemingly innocuous superpower of plasticity, Plastic Man can manipulate his body to become anything and anyone. This abilityb makes him a shapeshifter as well as a practical god; he’s survived a nuclear blast before, reassembling himself at the atomic level.His powers make him immortal- but that all changeswhen Plastic Man’s powersbecome the very reason for his deterioration.
The Black LabelPlastic Man No More!miniseries may not be in continuity, but the stories inBatman: The Brave and the Bold Are! For a canon Plastic Man story, check out his team up with Wonder Woman inBatman:The Brave and the Bold#19, available November 27th, 2024 from DC Comics.
Yet to me,Plastic Man has always had the best jokes in comics.In a world where Batman, Wonder Woman, and even Superman are often all too serious for their own good, Plastic Man is there to lighten things up. He has one of the goofiest powers of the Justice League, and he uses that to his advantage, often turning into unhelpful things like giant fishes or disguising himself as chairs just to be sat on. In a world of Crises that seem to come every year, I can get pretty exhausted with all the high-stakes deaths. Plastic Man puts me at ease, with a quick joke and a funny shape. At least, he used to.
Plastic Man Goes Dark in His New Body Horror Story
Plastic Man’s Powers Are Now Killing Him
Suddenly, this fun hero has been turned into nightmare fuel. Thekey Plastic Man power- how he can turn into anyone and anything - is flipped on its head so that he no longer has control over his body. He’s melting like a burning candle. Unlike a cancer that goes unnoticed in the body,Plastic Man’s grotesque breakdown is happening right before my eyes so that I can’t look away.It’s even more heart-breaking as the art of this issue seems to play more to Plastic Man’s cartoonish side - as if he doesn’t have days left to live.
Plastic Man No More!is toying with my heart.
Flipping between a more modern comic style and an easy Saturday morning cartoon style,Plastic Man No More!toys with my heart. It lulls me into a feeling of safety by presenting me with art that fits the jokey tone of Plastic Man - all the while he’s decomposing at the atomic level. It’sbody horror that will haunt my nightmares, and it’s even worse that it’stold in the art style of the very comics I used to collect and grow up with.Plastic Man is a hero I grew up with too, but it looks like he won’t be getting any older.
Plastic Man Is All Out of Jokes in This Gruesome Story
Who Is Plastic Man When His Powers Can’t Save Him?
With this juxtaposition of comedic feints and simple illustrations pitted against the dark theme of a previously untouchable man facing his own end,Plastic Man No More!is giving Eel O’Brian the depth he’s always been lacking in favor of quick quips. As a superhero who has been reliant on his powers as a form of personal identity for years, this storyline shows mejust who Plastic Man isbeyond his powers.I’m getting to see Plastic Man as someone who laughs to keep from crying,who scrambles to stay alive, and who tries to reconnect with his grown-up son in a way that no jokes can solve.
Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic vs Justice League’s Plastic Man: Who’d Win
Fantastic Four’s Mr. Fantastic and Justice League’s Plastic Man both have elastic powers, but there would be a clear winner if they came to blows.
Superhero comics aren’t just flashy stories with punching and cool superpowers. They are artful inner looks at some of the most interesting aspects of the human condition, and I see that on display inPlastic Man No More!,even with how heartbreaking it is to see one of my favorite characters run out of jokes. I don’t know whether it’s a fitting end forPlastic Man, but I’m invested in seeing just who thisJustice Leagueicon is when he can’t transform into someone else anymore.
Plastic Man No More!#2is available now from DC Comics!
Plastic Man is a rumored project in James Gunn’s DC Universe, centering on the adventures of the titular superhero known for his comedic wit and elasticity. The film explores his transformation and crime-fighting exploits as part of the revamped cinematic reboot of the iconic comic book franchise.
